Ordinary Birthday

Five final exams completed, and only one to go. I'm almost there!

So for the record, yesterday was by birthday, though it just felt like any other day because I spent the greater  part of my time studying for finals. However, I must admit that getting As on the two finals I had on my birthday was quite the present! Maybe if today was my birthday, I would have done just as good on the exam I just took...

This got me to wondering, did it feel like any other day because I was furiously shoving my nose into my textbooks, or because it's true what they say about birthdays becoming less and less important the older you get? I mean, I know people don't like getting old, so they ignore their birthdays most of the time, but that's when they're, like, 40! I mean, I still have some milestone birthdays ahead of me. 21, when I can drink (which does not mean I will. I much prefer chocolate milk). 35, when I can run for president (though I'm not one for politics). And 40, when I begin counting backwards for every birthday after that (when I get to 20 again, do I start counting back up?).

No, I have concluded that, were it not for finals week, yesterday would have been a wonderfully special day.  And with Christmas and New Years fast approaching, I am extremely excited to soon be test free and surrounded by old friends and family.

By the way, I have added a new item in the "Recipe" page. It is the comfort food that has most assuredly gotten me through this week: Snickerdoodles.

It's a Monday

Sike, it's not Monday, but what the heck is happening! Finals week has already swooped down and is ready to grab me and eat me for dinner! That is a wonderful illustration of how awesome (not) my week is going to be! AND I just realized that I have two essays due Monday, which is now technically tomorrow seeing as it's 2 in the morning. Great.

So, you may or may not have read my previous post about putting off stressing about finals until the week before. Well I seem to have put it off a little longer... until the day before to be exact.

BAHHHHH!!!!!

Ok, done freaking out. Now normally, when a test is coming up and the professor is like, "You have from today to next Thursday to take this exam," I am ALWAYS that person who is in the testing center next Thursday  two hours before the place closes, taking my exam. You gotta fit as much study time in beforehand, am I right? So, if I were to continue with this, I would be taking all of my exams this Friday.

Well, I have changed my mindset. First exam = Psychological Science. When am I taking it? Monday! And I am going to rock it! Do you know why? Because of the video I have included in this post. So watch it.

Man, i'm in a crazy mood. That's what too many Jenna Marbles videos does to you!

Sleepless in Seattle

So, after finding out that I likely didn't have a ride back home for winter break, I have finally purchased my plane ticket to Seattle! And for a pretty good price, I must say. I cannot even put into words how excited I am to go home! All I need to do is survive the next few weeks, but on the bright side, I get to take a break in the middle of finals week to celebrate my birthday!

Now, to be honest, I am a little freaked out to fly home. I have been on a plane twice in my life, both before I was the age of 3, and I have not stepped foot in an airport since then. No, i'm not scared that the plane is going to crash or something like that, i'm actually excited for the flying part. It's everything that comes before and after the flying - the bag check, security, stuff like that. It just seems so frantic and stressful! It will definitely be a new experience.

It's crazy that I've only been away from home for almost three and a half months - it feels like it's been a year! Maybe I'm just weird, but I keep picturing what it looks like to drive along all the familiar streets back home. That's one of the first things I want to do when I get there - just drive around for hours. Well, maybe not that long...

I'm so ready to be sleepless in Seattle!

Final Countdown

Yesterday I went into a conference with my English Professor, and the first thing she asked me was to rate my general stress level from 1-10, ten being the most stressed. I assumed she was expecting a seven or eight, because she was extremely surprised when I said three.

A very low quality picture of my school's testing center!

Next week is the last week before finals. Any sane person would be at a five, minimum, when rating their stress. So why am I a three?

Let's just say it's the calm before the storm. I know that the next two weeks are going to be the most stressful of all my years of schooling, so I decided to postpone stressing about it. It works, you should try it! Although you have to make sure you stress just enough to get your regular homework assignments turned in on time. Other than that, take some free time for yourself! Watch some TV, go to a party, sleep for 15 hours. Then, the week before finals, take advantage of the extended library hours to study and hope that it all pays off!

No, I have never tried this method before. I'll let you know how it works out.

Actually...

You may or may not remember my old post from October, "To be or not to be... Psychology!" Well, this is going to be a similar post as I, like many other college freshmen, explore the plethora of options to choose from - options that will determine the rest of our lives.

I have always been interested in psychology, but the real question is, what do I do with that major? I have explored pre-med and business, as well as minors in neurology  management, statistics, and editing. Yet none of these seem to click with me. So what am I considering as a double major this week?

Actuarial Science.

I guess it's time to learn how to play League of Legends.

Basically, an actuarial   scientist calculates the probability of risk, usually working with insurance companies and other businesses. I tend to be good at math, but I am no Einstein. I mean, I fell asleep during  my AP Calculus BC exam - now that's saying something. So what is it that draws me into this major? Simple.

• No graduate school required, just a few examinations.
• Nearly 0% unemployment rate
• Entry level income starting at about $80,000 
• Experienced actuaries can earn upwards of $200,000 annually 

Well I'm convinced. I figure it should work fairly well considering psychology relies a great deal on statistics anyway. Although, this is the fifth week in a row I have changed my mind concerning my future aspirations.

I suppose you'll just have to stay tuned to see what I decide.

Thanksgiving

When you ask me which holiday is my favorite, Thanksgiving is not near the top of the list. First, I would say Christmas because of the music. Second, 4th of July because of the fireworks. Third, New Year's because of the fireworks. Fourth, Halloween because of the candy.

However, at this moment in time, Thanksgiving is now in second place. I absolutely cannot wait for five days in a row, free of homework, lectures, and labs. It is going to be heavenly. Not to mention some of my most favorite people are coming down next week, that just tops it all off!

So Thanksgiving: please come quick, and please last forever. In the meantime, I will work on my three essays due today in the hope that the next few days will fly by in a blink of an eye. 

And, as a special gift during this holiday season, I have created a Recipes page. I will add to it more in the future, but for now I have included three recipes that I do not think I could ever live without.

Carnival

A glimpse of the dream that inspired this post.

Man, do I love that moment when you wake up from the most amazing dream, as if life could not possibly get better than this.

Then you realize none of it was real. That was the worst part of my morning today.

On the subject, Dr. Seuss once said, "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."

If that day doesn't ever come, don't question me when I begin to sleep 15 hours a day. Just hope to whatever god you believe in that I am having a great dream.

Some people say they wish they could decide what they dream about every night. I suppose sometimes, that would be nice. But personally, I think I would like to leave the work up to my imagination, because there are many nights when my dreams surpass anything I could have ever consciously thought up. Those are the nights when every puzzle piece falls into place and time stands still.

It is in those moments that I am grateful that my unconscious mind is aware of the level of happiness I am capable of achieving,  because my pessimistic mind threatens to tell me otherwise.

Now scroll down to the bottom of the page and please feed the fish. They may not be real, but it sure is entertaining!

Snow Cones

Never in my life have I seen snow in November. It just doesn't work that way in Seattle, but when we do get snow, usually around January or February (once in April), it's a party! It is as if we are seeing it for the first time! However, this happiness may be conditioned through the reward of no school days that are gifted to young children like candy once the first snowflake hits the ground.

If only it worked that way in college.

Of course, when it began snowing, I was ecstatic! That was, until I realized classes were not going to be cancelled because here, this much snow is normal. According to B.F. Skinner, now that my reward of no school has been taken away, my conditioned response to snow (happiness) should quickly become extinct.

However, I don't think Skinner would have taken into account the other factor that fuels my happiness, my very being, during the winter. And now that I live somewhere where it snows an inch per hour (about the current rate for the past three hours), this reward will be never-ending.

Homemade snow cones. To share the happiness, here is my recipe:

1 (1/4 oz.) envelope drink mix (I prefer Hawaiian Fruit Punch, but Kool-Aid works too)
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Water

Stir together until sugar is dissolved. Pour over snow, mix, and enjoy. 

Vacation

Everyone deserves a vacation at least once a year. That would make me long overdue for a carefree get-away, but not anymore!

Vacations are hard to come by, especially as the college semester is winding down and the homework is piling up. So where did I decide would be the perfect vacation spot, you may ask?

Rexburg, Idaho.

Not the first place anyone would think to travel to, but there was an awesome group of friends here that I so desperately needed to visit! The only odd thing about the trip was the journey here...

Step 1: See post on facebook day before trip about a seat available. Destination: Rexburg.

Step 2: Respond to post without considering the heavy amount of homework you have this weekend.

Step 3: Meet the driver and the passengers you don't know ten minutes before departing.

Step 4: Drive five hours, watch a movie, and make jokes about how you just met the driver.

Step 5: Meet up with the guys in Rexburg, then crash at their girlfriends apartment, who you have only met once before.

To the average reader, this may not sound like the safest process, but I was very confident in my safety. Just don't try this at home, especially if you don't attend BYU. I cannot guarantee your safety in that case...

Have fun and happy travels to you all!

Aha!

I am including a video in this post - "Aha!" by Pentatonix (Cover). I originally saw it when a friend of mine posted it on facebook, and it is perfect seeing as Halloween is fast approaching. I never really watched the Sing Off so I was not aware that Pentatonix was the winner of the most recent season. I immediately went into a frenzy and watched as many of their videos as I could during my break between classes today, and I am thoroughly impressed. Best part of this video, I would have to say, is from 2:50 to 3:00. Anyway, I have no words of wisdom or an attempt at inspiration for today. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy.

                                               "Aha!" by Pentatonix (Imogen Heap cover)

Reality

One of my most favorite hobbies: Daydreaming.

Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I could go back in time, let's say ten years, but still have the same knowledge that I have today. That would put me in the third grade, with a college reading level, though the math levels may not be up to par... Wow! I would probably be a super genius, skip five grades, and start college at the age of 13, grad school by at least 17 or 18.

However, I try to make sure I don't think about this too much, because that's when reality starts to set in. And personally, I don't think reality gets along well with daydreaming. They tend to bicker. A lot.

So when I start to realize how horrible life would be as a 13-year-old college freshman, I move on to the next dream.

This time, i'm living in my New York City flat, getting ready to head off to my job at the top publishing agency. After a long days work, I come home and begin to continue writing my fourth bestselling novel. But New York is two thousand miles away. And I still have to finish college. And I haven't even written a book.

I really wish reality would stop arguing with my daydreams.

To Be or Not To Be... Psychology!

 

I have known for the past four years that I want to major in psychology. I wasn't sure what I was going to do as a career, but graduate school after I get my bachelor's degree was a must.

Who was I kidding, I'm not meant to be in the field of psychology. I'm not a people person. I'd rather spend hours on end alone than go to a party. I am not the best at social communication. I'm taking 7 credit hours of psychology, along with my 8 credit hours of GE's. What am I doing here?

Maybe it's the 27 episodes of Grey's Anatomy I've watched in the past four days that's causing me to second guess myself (I know, sad, but it's just a phase). That's probably what's got me looking into majors like Biology, Biophysics, Chemistry, Physics, and Neuroscience. I never liked chemistry, and I didn't even take physics in high school!

Ok, I like psychology. I like learning about how other people function and think. But the entire field is based on perspective, at least that was the lesson in class today. I'm not sure if I want to go into a field where much of the material I am learning now will be out of date by the time I enter the work force. So maybe biology is my true destiny. Or neuroscience. Or biochemistry.

Or maybe I need to cut back on the Grey's Anatomy...

Boiling Point

Everyone gets that feeling at one point or another - the feeling that life just sucks. And it sucks that I am currently at that point.

Now, don't think that this is a pity party. Oh, no. Because I know that you have been at this point at one time, and you can't deny that. So there is no room for judgement here. The only question now is what happens next?

Of course the natural thing to do would be to turn to my friends. But sadly my closest friend is hundreds of miles away - one of the few downsides to college.

Since that is out of the question, family comes next. But alas, they are also hundreds of miles away.

So what is it that can get those of us like me through the day? Because there are many of us.

I'd like to tell myself to suck it up, but sometimes it's just not that easy. So what do I do? I grab a nice book. I write until my heart is content. I study for hours on end. I make good use of my Hulu Plus account. I forget about how much my life sucks because somewhere in the world, someone's life sucks even more then mine. And until my life sucks the most, I have no room to complain. Until then, you just gotta fake it 'til you make it.

And sometimes you do make it.

Roma Capitale

"All roads lead to Rome."

The phrase is common enough - I'm sure you have heard it at one point or another. What most people don't know is that, at one point in time, this was actually true. In the thriving Roman Empire, Rome was the center of the world and, like the phrase says, all roads lead to this city. Everyone knew where they were going and they knew what would be waiting there at the end of the road - Rome.

How convenient.

I wish I could say the same for our world today. In the midst of all the politics, celebrity scandals, and hot new technology, the roads we use to travel on a daily basis no longer seem to lead anywhere in particular. There is no grand destination. Most of us are simply skirting the back streets in an attempt to quickly get from point A to point B, then back again to point A, then to point C... I think you catch my drift.

So this leads me to ask: Where are you really going, and do you know exactly what will be waiting for you at the end of that road?

If you are anything like me, the answers to both of these questions will be an unsurprising "I don't know." And you know what - that's okay. It's understandable to not know where you are going in life. As long as you know where you are right now, you might as well take in the beautiful scenery and simply conclude that today, all roads lead to nowhere.